On January 3, 2008, we embarked on another unstructured road trip. We left home at 09:30 AM en route to McGregor, Texas. Only 16 miles from home, but a town we had visited only twice before. Some old buildings still stand, but too many have been renovated and in the process lost some of their beauty.
Some of the small town charm is still there, easy to recognize the football pride. This mural downtown was done very well by some very talented painter. Nothing else could show how big a part of small town life high school football is.
The real reason we went to McGregor was to eat at Papi Taco. Our friends the Olvera's had opened their restaurant a few years back. Toño recognized the cooking talent his wife had and invested his money on her ability cook some excellent meals. We were hungry and knew that whatever we ate for breakfast would have to hold us until late in the afternoon. I had the "guevos rancheros" excellent! Dora, Sam and Elfida had the "menudo". I usually finish off whatever Elfida doesn't eat, well not that day. She ate all of her breakfast, said it was some of the best menudo she ever eaten. Papi Taco is located at 809 S. Main St. If you make it McGregor before 0200 PM, stop by and enjoy some real Mexican food.
As we meandered through the narrow roads and forgotten towns southwest of Waco we arrived at Mosheim, Texas, in late afternoon. We saw the old school even before we turned on to highway 217, okay, we were on highway 217 but it makes a 90 degree turn or it actually becomes highway 215 past the intersection and the road that hits perpendicular to what was highway 217 becomes highway 217. 
It must have been a beautiful school. The building was huge and it had a strange resemblance to the Alamo. It was asymmetrical and we would learn from one of its alumni that the adjoining wings were added later on. It is now in very bad conditions and close to collapsing. The grounds around it are kept mowed and clean of any trash.
This building is located behind the main building. The water tank appears to belong to the school. This building also has the structure of a school building or possibly an administration building.
This is the front of the School, while we were there another vehicle pulled up. I thought is was someone coming to tell us to stay out of the building, but it turned out to be a very nice woman there to take pictures of the building. She was very friendly and told us that she graduated from this school in the early sixties. The school housed 1st grade through 12th grade. It never graduated very big senior classes, some years six some years less.
I counted eight fire places. The fire places must have originally been the sole heating source for the school. In this picture you can see how well the property is taken care off. Very clean. I think the building is beyond repair now, but its beauty is still apparent.
The front immediately brought the Alamo to mind when I drove upon it. At some point some renovations were done to it. We were told by our new friend from Mosheim that the stairs were originally located towards the center entrance but now they are to the left of the main entrance. There was also a gymnasium detached from the building which was torn down somewhere along its history.
While we were standing in front talking to the Mosheim alumni we were so lucky to meet, another lady walked over. She told us she had graduated in 1947 from this school. She remembered the school went only to the 11th grade back then. I wish we could have stayed longer and talked more to our new found friends, but it the shadows were already getting long, our one indicator on this unstructured trips that time for heading home is getting close. Our two friends stayed to look at the school and we said goodbye, starting our drive towards Valley Mills.
This is Highway 217 going towards Valley Mills. Just down the road, some more Mosheim High alumni were planning their next reunion. Go Mosheim Mohawks!!
This lonely feline guards the school. It watched us from that window ledge, but when we got too close it jumped into the building from where it could watch us and still feel safe.
Dora and Elfida wait for me to take my last picture. We took off for Valley Mills and then got into a discussion as to whether we were going in the right direction. We knew we were on Highway 217 but then we had turned left at the intersection. We had to be on another highway now. So we turned back and got to the intersection, but weren't we suppose to turn here? We drove back and verified with the two ladies whether we were on the right road to Valley Mills. We were assured that we were on the right road. It wasn't until I got home and Googled Mosheim, Texas, that I realized how Highway 217 turns 90 degrees and what continues on straight becomes Highway 215.We arrived in Waco at 0700 PM, hungry and tired. Our first stop was at Logan's for dinner, then home to look at the pictures taken during this trip and finally to bed. I will post pictures of some of the other places we visited later on.
5 comments:
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My Dad went to that school in Mosheim. Or Grandparents lived around the corner. My sister and I used to play on the old merry-go-round that was in front in the early 80s. It was closed and most wood was rotted. It was so overgrown with trees and weeds, you could not even see most of the building. We used to look through the windows at the old furniture inside. The front doors had small windows. If you looked through them you could see a ghost! I'm thinking it was a large mirror. But we used to run to the gas station across the street. The gas station didn't have any pumps. They just fixed cars, had a soda machine and candy. Great times!
My wifes grandmother was the validictorian of Mosheim High School class of 1950. We are still in the area. I drive that 217 drive all the time to visit family that lives just west of Mosheim. If you ever end up in the area again you should stop on the corner and talk with someone about what used to be the post office. Great stories there!
I came across your "Mosheim Texas Trip" and loved seeing the pictures of what was once my school.I attended Mosheim school from 1935 thru 1946 and graduated from Gatesville High School. A few things stand to be corrected :There were no fire places . Our heat came from coal .The burners were round and about 5ft tall. We were aloud to stand around it on cold days. The elementary school was on the right side and the high school was on the left side as we were all together under one roof. It was a beautiful school. When u walked in above the water fountain was a glass case where all of our basketball trophies were displayed .There was a fish pond and a water fountain in the courtyard .In 1943 the 12th grade was brought in to all the schools. The gym was moved to the school in the early 40s and when the school closed it was sold and moved.The water tank belong to a private home at the back of the school and was never a part of the school. Upstairs was the auditorium where PTA and school plays etc... were held.I have great memories of the school and am honored that you would take interest . Dorothy Sellers Walcott
My sister went to the Mosheim school circa 1945/46. We lived on a farm nearby and I went to school with her on occasion even though I wasn't school age yet in a pickup truck with a camper type cover on the bed of it. The bed had a wooden bench on either side of it. Can you verify that this is the same school?
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